Smriti Mandhana Biography: The Woman Who Made India Believe in Women’s Cricket

Smriti Mandhana Biography: She was burning with fever. The target was 204 the highest ever set in a Women’s Premier League final.

87,000 eyes were watching. And Smriti Mandhana picked up her bat anyway.

What followed was one of the most breathtaking knocks in franchise cricket history 87 runs off just 41 balls, a stand of 165 with Georgia Voll, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru lifting the WPL 2026 trophy.

Not with the help of a healthy superstar, but with the grit of a woman who simply refused to let her team down.

That moment said everything about Smriti Mandhana the cricketer, the captain, the symbol.

How did a young girl from the quiet town of Sangli, Maharashtra, become the most marketable female athlete in India, the world No. 1 ODI batter, and the vice-captain of a World Cup-winning team. Her story is anything but ordinary.

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Early Life and Background

Smriti Mandhana was born on July 18, 1996, in Mumbai but grew up in Sangli, Maharashtra a small town known more for its love of sports than producing international stars.

Away from elite cricket academies, she developed her skills in local grounds with simple facilities and strong determination.

From a young age, she showed natural timing and sharp cricketing instincts, falling in love with the game while watching and playing with her family.

Family Influence and Introduction to Cricket

Smriti Mandhana Biography: Cricket was a passion in the Mandhana household. Her father, Shrinivas, played district-level cricket, and her brother, Shravan, represented Sangli at the state Under-15 level. Watching her brother practice inspired Smriti to take the sport seriously.

Interestingly, although she is naturally right-handed, she bats left-handed a decision encouraged by her father, who admired left-handed batters.

Her mother, Smita, managed her diet and daily routine, while her father guided her training.

With strong family support, Smriti’s cricket journey began on a solid foundation.

Domestic Cricket Journey

Smriti Mandhana’s talent was recognized very early. She was selected for Maharashtra’s Under-15 team at just nine years old and moved to the Under-19 side by eleven.

At 15, she scored 155 runs off 125 balls in only her second senior match for Maharashtra, quickly gaining attention from selectors.

Her breakthrough moment came in October 2013 during the West Zone Under-19 tournament against Gujarat, where she scored a historic 224 off 150 balls becoming the first Indian woman to hit a double century in a one-day match.

Smriti Mandhana Biography: Interestingly, she achieved this milestone using a bat gifted and signed by cricket legend Rahul Dravid, making the achievement even more special.

International Debut and Early Challenges

Smriti Mandhana made her international debut in April 2013 at just 16, against Bangladesh.

In her first T20I, she top-scored with 39 runs, showing confidence and elegance.

A year later, she impressed again on her Test debut against England at Wormsley, scoring a crucial 51 in the second innings to help India secure a rare overseas win.

However, between 2013 and 2015, she often got good starts but struggled to convert them into big match-winning scores, leading to criticism.

Just before the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2017, she suffered a serious ACL injury during a Women’s Big Bash League match in Australia, putting her participation in doubt.

After five months of intense rehabilitation, she returned in time for the World Cup and delivered a stunning performance, scoring 90 and 106* in her first two matches.

India went on to reach the final at Lord’s, marking her true arrival on the global stage.

Rise in ODI, Test, and T20 Cricket

What followed the 2017 World Cup was a decade-long ascent to the top of the game. By February 2026, Smriti Mandhana’s stats tell the story of a dominant batter across all three formats.

In ODIs, she has played 118 matches, scoring 5,380 runs at an average of 48.47 with 14 centuries and 35 half-centuries.

In 2025, she became the first woman in history to score 1,000 ODI runs in a single calendar year finishing with a staggering world-record 1,362 ODI runs.

She hit a 50-ball century against Australia in September 2025 the fastest ODI hundred ever by an Indian, male or female.

In Tests a format Indian women’s teams rarely get to play she averages a magnificent 57.18 across 7 matches, with a top score of 149.

In T20Is, she crossed 4,000 runs in December 2025, becoming only the second woman in history to achieve the feat. She scored her maiden T20I century 112 off 62 balls against England in June 2025.

The crowning glory is India’s maiden ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup triumph in late 2025, where Mandhana served as vice-captain and top scorer with 434 tournament runs including a century against New Zealand. A billion hearts erupted. Women’s cricket had arrived.

WPL Journey

Smriti Mandhana had already made her mark in franchise cricket before India launched its own women’s league, representing the Adelaide Strikers and Sydney Thunder in Australia’s Women’s Big Bash League, where she developed a fearless and attacking style of play.

When the Women’s Premier League was introduced in 2023, she became one of the biggest names in the auction, bought by Royal Challengers Bengaluru for ₹3.4 crore and immediately appointed captain.

The first season proved challenging, as RCB won only two matches and failed to reach the playoffs, with questions raised about whether captaincy pressure was affecting her form.

However, Mandhana responded with resilience. In 2024, she led RCB to their maiden WPL title, finishing among the top run-scorers and silencing critics with her calm leadership.

Her 2026 season elevated her status even further despite battling illness before the final, she played a stunning knock of 87 off 41 balls, helped chase down a record 204-run target, and shared a world-record 165-run partnership with Georgia Voll.

She ended the season with 377 runs, won the Orange Cap, and became the first captain across IPL and WPL history to claim both the championship and the leading run-scorer award in the same edition.

Her signing with the Manchester Super Giants for The Hundred further confirmed her global franchise stature.

Major Records and Achievements

• Fastest woman to 10,000 international runs, reaching the landmark in just 280 innings and surpassing Mithali Raj’s previous record.
• Most ODI centuries by an Indian woman with 14 centuries, breaking Mithali Raj’s tally of seven.
• First Indian woman to score a century in all three international formats: Test, ODI, and T20I.
• Most international runs in a calendar year in women’s cricket with 1,703 runs in 2025.
• Successful WPL captain for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, leading the franchise to two titles.
• Orange Cap winner in the Women’s Premier League as the top run-scorer in a season.
• World-record 165-run partnership in the 2026 WPL final.

Smriti Mandhana Net Worth and Brand Endorsements

Smriti Mandhana’s estimated net worth as of 2026 ranges between ₹34 crore and ₹40 crore (approximately $4–4.8 million USD), reflecting both her personal success and the rapid commercial growth of women’s cricket.

Her primary income sources include a ₹3.5 crore per season contract with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Women’s Premier League, a BCCI Grade A central contract worth ₹50 lakh annually, and match fees across formats.

However, the biggest contributor to her earnings is brand endorsements, which reportedly generate ₹6–7 crore per year. After the 2025 World Cup victory, her endorsement fees are said to have risen to ₹1.5–2 crore per brand.

She is associated with around 16–17 leading domestic and international brands across sportswear, fintech, lifestyle, and consumer goods sectors.

With approximately 14.8 million followers on social media, she stands among the most influential Indian athletes online second only to Virat Kohli making her one of the most in-demand sports personalities in the country, regardless of gender.

Awards and Recognitions

• Winner of the Arjuna Award in 2019.
• Two-time ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year in 2018 and 2021.
• Three-time ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year in 2018, 2021, and 2024.
• BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year for 2025 (awarded in February 2026).
• Named Wisden Leading Woman Cricketer in the World for 2024.
• Honored as BCCI Best International Women’s Cricketer for 2025.

Controversies

• Smriti Mandhana has largely stayed away from controversy, but 2025 brought personal and on-field challenges.
• Her wedding to music composer Palaash Muchhal, scheduled for November 25, 2025, was abruptly called off a day before the ceremony. While families initially cited health reasons, reports later alleged personal disputes. Muchhal denied the claims and issued a defamation notice. On December 7, 2025, Mandhana released a brief statement confirming the wedding was cancelled and requested privacy. The cricketing community publicly supported her during the difficult time.
• In the same month, she faced online body-shaming after event photos went viral, with fans and fellow athletes defending her against unfair criticism.
• On the field, her dismissal in the World Cup semi-final against Australia sparked debate after a late DRS review showed an UltraEdge spike she appeared to question. Despite the controversy, she accepted the decision calmly and walked off with composure.

Lesser-Known Facts About Smriti Mandhana

• Avid gamer who plays Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) as a stress-buster during tours.
• If not a cricketer, she says she would have become a chef; she has taken Punjabi cooking classes and considers Paneer Tikka Masala her signature dish.
• A big fan of Arijit Singh and listens to his songs to relax between matches.
• Dream holiday destinations include Switzerland and Australia.
• Draws batting inspiration from Kumar Sangakkara and openly admires Virat Kohli.
• Initially wanted to study Science, but switched to Commerce to balance academics with cricket.
• Scored her historic 224* as a teenager using a bat signed by Rahul Dravid, a keepsake that became part of cricket history.

Legacy & Impact

Smriti Mandhana’s impact on Indian women’s cricket goes far beyond statistics. Before her rise, the women’s game in India was respected but rarely celebrated on a mass scale.

Today, tournaments like the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 have drawn massive viewership, and young girls across the country now dream of playing at iconic venues like Lord’s and Melbourne.

Mandhana has been central to this transformation. Through her strong social media presence, mainstream brand endorsements, and vocal support for equal pay and better facilities, she has helped push structural change in the sport.

The BCCI’s equal pay policy marked a major shift in Indian cricket’s landscape, and she has consistently advocated for fair recognition for women cricketers.

Her mentorship of young talents like Saima Thakor and Shreyanka Patil reflects her commitment to building the future of the game.

Many experts already see her as the natural successor to Harmanpreet Kaur in leadership.

Biography By: Namita

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